WE WORSHIP WITH THE ANGELS
Sermon Text: Isaiah 6:1-8 (v. 6). Then one of the seraphim flew to me.
Lord, this is Your Word, and these are Your words. Sanctify us by the truth. Your Word is truth. Lord, preserve us in faith so we continue to be served by the holy angels; and let us share with them the joys of the life that never ends. Amen!
In the name of Jesus, dear fellow redeemed: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and Jesus, our Lord. Amen!
In the creed we say that God is the “Maker of all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible.”The angels are in the part you can’t see. So we can’t know about them unless God reveals it to us, which He does in the Bible.
Here we see it revealed to Isaiah the prophet. He’s brought by the Lord in some way into God’s throne room. He says: “I saw the Lord.” He does not say where. When he says, “the train of His robe filled the temple,” it isn’t the temple in Jerusalem. That temple was an earthly copy of the heavenly sanctuary. The one where God Himself is. This is what Isaiah sees. He says: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne.” He’s in God’s throne room, where the heavenly council is: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Triune God, in all His glory. Not only does he see God face to face, but he also sees the ones whom Jesus calls “the angels in heaven.” This is heaven.
Isaiah is mesmerized by the angels. He recognizes them as “the seraphim.” He says: “Each one had six wings.” But he’s impressed by the fact that only two wings are being used to fly. He says:“With two [wings] they covered their faces.” Why? God is too great to look at directly, even for angels who have no sins. They are holy but humble in God’s presence.
Then Isaiah says: “With two they covered their feet.” Why? To cover up their deeds and works, even though what the holy angels do is not improvable, and the least thing they do is far greater than the best any of us can do or create.
Then he says: “With two [wings] they flew.” But now for the important part. Isaiah records what they said: “One called to another.” They form two choirs and shout with joy, singing from one side to the other, antiphonally. Notice, they sing to each other, in front of God! We do that in church. You don’t just sing to God, but you sing the Gospel to each other, as it says in Ephesians 5: “singing toone another in hymns and spiritual songs.”
What’s important are their words: “Holy, holy, holy is He.” – “Holy,” three times. “Holy” – to the Father. “Holy” – to the Son. “Holy” – to the Spirit. They trumpet the knowledge of the only God, the Triune God. They say that He is their Lord! – “the Lord Sabaoth,” the Lord of the angels, the Lord of the angelic hosts, “of armies,” which is what Sabaoth means. The armies of angels. They’re an army. Are they fighting? Yes! They beat back the forces of darkness, flooding it with light. With what weapon? With singing, with the worship of God that’s humble before Him and declares that in spite of all the yuck happening on earth, “the whole earth is full of His glory!’ ”
In this first part, what we learn about the angels is:
The center of their life is worshipping God on His throne.
We’re used to thinking of the angels mainly as our guardians, a chief way that God the Father “protects me from all danger, guards and keeps me from all evil” (catechism). This is right. The angels guard and protect, as Psalm 91 says: “He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways.”
But the angels aren’t just errand-boys running here and there. They are worshipping beings, first of all. They were made for worship. The light and heavenly grace that they glow with, is a light and glory that they receive. They can’t be away from God’s presence long. Neither can you!
This is a battle with the forces of Satan. Any goodness that you have, or being holy like the angels, has to be received at God’s throne, His throne of mercy, where He gives you His grace and strength; where He fills you with light and joy. We don’t seem to know this. But the angels do! The angels aren’t defined by their great deeds, but by their connection to the Lord of Armies, the Lord God of Sabaoth. Even the guardian angel part, what they do for us their weaker little-guy neighbors, it’s part of their worship. They’re all about who God is in Christ as they specifically protect “those who will inherit salvation” – Christians. So too what do in your vocations is serving God. Another word for that is worship. To serve God is to worship Him.
People want to know what’s lacking in their life, and this is it. Seldom are you all about Christ. Your life gets to be so full of yourself. Obsessed with perishable things. Obsessed with getting credit. This is actually when we’re losing the battle. Unlike the angels, you don’t cover up your deeds but you want everyone to notice. That’s why holiness becomes uncomfortable to us. The world we live in thinks it’s cool to be irreverent. Discourages reverence and awe. Thinks it’s OK to wallow in filth. Goes on unaware of its darkness.
So this scene in Isaiah 6, it’s what you need. But not because the angels’ example shames us. It’s a basic Law-Gospel story. That’s what happens next: Isaiah doesn’t react to the angels’ worship with a smile. He says: “Woe is me, for I am undone!” This is a bigger “woe” than how it sounds. It’s the conviction that standing there he stands condemned, before God he’s totally exposed and vulnerable and doomed. He says it’s “because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Isaiah can’t get past the word holy. He says it’s “because I am a man of unclean lips.” He confesses he is sinful and unclean. All of a sudden nothing but holiness and light surrounds Isaiah. He feels like he has to leave. Isaiah can’t conclude that he belongs with the angels. He knows he doesn’t. He isn’t worthy. He deserves to be cast out.
This brings us to the surprise, the second thing we learn about the angels:
We are enabled to worship WITH the angels!
To worship God, in His presence, and not be cast out. For Isaiah was not cast out. He says: “One of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal, which he had taken from the altar with the tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged.’ ”
This shows that when your sin is forgiven, you are holy. You’re just as holy as the angels! You don’t feel that you are. But like Isaiah, your holiness isn’t from you. You need your guilt taken away. You need your sin forgiven.
Here we see that Isaiah’s holiness came not from what he did in life but only from God’s altar, the unquenchable fire of His love. Where is this altar? Where did this taking-away of guilt, this forgiving of sin, come from? The answer is: Christ. Isaiah was seeing Christ, actually. He sees God wearing a “robe,” sees God with a human form. This is an Old Testament picture of Christ, 700 years earlier. Christ wore human flesh as His robe. This is what it says in John’s gospel (Jn 12:41): what Isaiah “saw”was actually “Christ’s glory.”
Just where is this altar? Where the taking-away of guilt comes from: Jesus’ cross. The angels are connected to this too. Jesus “was made a little lower than the angels, that He might taste death for everyone.” (Heb 2:9) You see angels in the life of Jesus especially as “herald angels.” As the New Testament era was beginning, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias, to Mary, to Joseph to tell them the Savior was being born, and His name is Jesus.
Angels were sent to preach His birth: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. … Glory to God in the highest! on earth peace, good will toward men.” Angels were sent to preach comfort on the third day: “Why do you seek the Living among the dead? He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.” Angels were sent to declare at His ascension: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus will come back in the same way you saw Him go into heaven.” They were heralding the opening of heaven to all believers.
This is what the angels would have you know, like Isaiah: that although you are unclean, “your guilt is taken away and your sin forgiven” (EHV). First, through Jesus’ death. But then: because “this has touched your lips.” It’s by receiving it. Guess where this happens? In church.
What happened in Isaiah 6, where it’s so impressive and the angels are there, is the same thing that happens when you confess your sinfulness like Isaiah, and you receive His words of forgiveness. It doesn’t feel impressive, but it’s breathtaking and it’s glorious, and the angels are here. Jesus said, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” and is forgiven. (Lk 15:10). That’s you! Heaven rejoices; so should we.
We’re being made holy, enabled to worship with angels. The worship that happens here isn’t earthly but heavenly. It’s heaven on earth. It’s where the church in heaven, including the angels, are present with us who struggle in this church on earth. You don’t only worship with the people next to you but you’re worshipping with the angels, right here, right now. Yours is the kingdom, just as much as the angels. They share everything with you.
When you hear the Law and repent, hear the Gospel and believe your sins are forgiven, the angels in heaven rejoice, not in some “up-there,” but here!
Isaiah 6;3 is part of the Sanctus in the communion liturgy to tell us we are just as near the throne and in the presence of Christ as Isaiah. When we come to the Lord’s Supper we worship with angels and all the company of heaven. Your departed loved ones are as close as they can be to Christ in heaven; you’re as close as you can be to Him on earth in the Supper. You’re also as close as can be to the citizens of heaven, your loved ones and the dear angels.
The Gospel declares you to be as holy as the angels. You belong here with the citizens of heaven. You were made for this worship, which continues in heaven. All that you do in life is part of this worship. It’s made holy for the sake of Him who “shines brighter than all the angels in the sky.”Amen!